horror-struck

C2+ Topic:Emotions & Feelings

Also spelled horrorstruck

US /ˈhɔɹ.ɚˌstrʌk/ UK /ˈhɒr.əˌstrʌk/
adj Freq #275305

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    suddenly overwhelmed or immobilized by horror

    The horror-struck witnesses stared at the wreckage in silence.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · suddenly overwhelmed or... horrifiedaghasthorror-stricken
More appalled
Opposites
unperturbedunfazed
Word family
Related forms horrorstrickenawestruck

Etymology

A compound of horror + struck, using struck in its older figurative sense of "suddenly and powerfully affected." It is parallel to compounds such as grief-stricken and thunderstruck.

Topics

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